I don’t understand why the Doctor has to be an arsehole about things to be interesting. Frankly, I want my Doctor to be likeable and someone I want to spend time with. Not someone I’d be bitching about to my friends. The Doctor can be likeable and still be interesting.
I didn’t say he did. There are other ways to make the Doctor interesting, certainly. But the idea of 10 at the end of his rope, tired of losing people and deciding he’s gonna say “screw it” and save Bowie Base One because he feels he’s owed a win at this point, is more interesting than his usual self.
Personally, in general, the Doctor is an alien and I don’t think they should be restricted by human ideas of what makes a nice person, or a good person, and I do enjoy the Doctor acting like someone humans would consider unlikeable, a dick, etc. as long as they never fail to still try and save the day, as long as they’re still the hero. I get that’s not to everyone’s taste, but honestly, every Doctor has those moments of morality that maybe doesn’t line up with humans’, I think that’s pretty much intrinsic with the character. As 9 says “it’s a different morality, get used to it, or go home”
This, for me, isn’t really about the Doctor’s morality or not being human, though - I totally get that’s a part of the character. As with 12 and the soldier hate it is how it is played/written that rubs me the wrong way. I don’t hate 6 for his sometimes questionable morality.
But I come to Who for joy and adventure not for soul searching and misery. That always makes a story a difficult thing to enjoy for me.
Also, I want a balance in my Doctor Who. I want some of the happy, joyful, silly bombastic adventure, but I also want some of the sad, serious, or introspective stuff as well. If it’s all of either and none of the other, or just doing one of them week in and week out, it gets stale. I come to Doctor Who for good storytelling more than anything else, regardless of the kind of story it’s telling.
i find midnight to be overrated, in fact theres quite a few early rtd/moffat ones i’d put in that boat but i don’t wanna cause too much controversy lol